Actually, he asked the Jingzhao Prefecture to investigate because he still harbored a sliver of hope. He felt that this matter might be related to the Wu family of Ningyuan Marquis, and that someone must have framed the Zhou family.
Grand Tutor Zhou was his maternal grandfather. The Zhou family was a distinguished and respectable family. How could anyone do such a vicious thing?
If it is found that he is related to the Wu family, he may be able to take the opportunity to put pressure on the Yue family, so that he won't be like a quail and unable to hold his head up in front of Marquis Ningyuan and Wu Xinxin.
Unexpectedly, after questioning the servants of the Zhou family, the gardener immediately brought out Zhou Qingqian.
Some time ago, Zhou Qingqian would often send him money to help him out of his immediate troubles. He never imagined that she would imprison Shi Wenxia and even have someone... have someone...
Zhou Qingqian initially denied her guilt, but Lu Ning somehow obtained a secret letter detailing how Zhou Qingqian had harmed people and who the servants who witnessed it were.
He immediately arrested the gardener, the coachman, and the old woman from Zhoujiazhuang, all mentioned in the secret letter.
Zhou Qingqian is the eldest daughter of the Zhou family and cannot be tortured. But the servants showed no mercy and used torture instruments until they all confessed.
The Jingzhao Prefecture also found a young novice monk at Guangxiao Temple who witnessed the gardener knocking someone unconscious and taking him away.
Out of consideration for the reputation of the Yun and Zhou families, the Jingzhao Prefecture did not hold a public trial for this case, but instead invited the parties involved to conduct the trial behind closed doors.
With an incredulous expression, Madam Xiao dragged Yun Tianbai, who also looked incredulous, into the Jingzhao Prefecture, looking at Zhou Qingqian with heartache.
Unable to deny the charges after a series of confessions, Zhou Qingqian had no choice but to plead guilty.
Madam Xiao slumped down in the courtroom, her face ashen.
After learning the whole story, Yun Tianbai asked in shock, "Cousin, why did you do this?"
In his previous life, he only knew that Zhou Qingqian was sent to another place one year, supposedly to arrange a marriage for him. He had no idea that his cousin had such feelings for him!
Could it be... that last time... Wu Xinxin and I... that Wu Xinxin said was a trap set by Zhou Qingqian, was actually true?!
Zhou Qingqian had already broken down. Seeing Yun Tianbai still asking so heartlessly, she laughed maniacally, "Cousin, I went crazy for you, I even poisoned them for you, and you still ask me why?"
Ye Ning understood the implication. "Zhou Qingqian, what did you say? You poisoned them? And who else?"
Seeing that she was doomed, Zhou Qingqian laughed even harder, "Yes, there's one more, you wouldn't believe it, would you? Hahaha!"
She stared intently at Yun Tianbai.
Yun Tianbai suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. "You...you wouldn't be referring to...Wu Xinxin, would you?"
Zhou Qingqian spat angrily, "She stole the opportunity that should have been mine to marry you, and even got the title of Lady of the Heir Apparent! I wanted to kill her! It's just a pity that she has too many people around her, and I couldn't find an opportunity to do it, so I put the Brain-Eating Gu into the Thousand Gold Pill. Hahaha..."
Yun Tianbai felt dizzy.
The Qianjin Pill... He gave it to Shi Wenxia because Wu Xinxin was having stomach pains and thought the Qianjin Pill could cure her uterine coldness, so he asked someone to get the Qianjin Pill from Shi Wenxia.
I fed her myself.
He felt utterly dejected.
Zhou Qingqian laughed and said, "You don't know, do you? Your mother also died from this brain-devouring Gu! It was Princess Qingping who poisoned your mother back then! Now, you've personally fed this Gu that killed your mother to your wife! Hahaha!"
Yun Tianbai was struck as if by lightning.
Madam Xiao stepped forward and slapped her daughter across the face. "You unfilial daughter! How could I have raised such a daughter! She is utterly lawless and disregards human life!"
Zhou Qingqian covered her face and accused, "Mother, if I hadn't heard you complain about my aunt since I was little, why would I have often wanted to bully my cousin? As I bullied him, I naturally developed feelings for him. But even though I developed feelings, you wouldn't agree to my engagement with my cousin, nor would you help me marry into the Duke's mansion. Now, my desperate situation is all your fault!"
Xiao almost fainted when she heard this. She just didn't like Zhou, which was why she didn't want to become related to her cousin. How could she have imagined that her daughter's persistence had reached such an outrageous level!
She beat her chest in frustration, but still pleaded with Lu Ning, "Lord Lu, if anyone is to blame, it's me, her mother, for failing to teach her properly, which led her to commit such a grave mistake. Please, Lord Lu, show her mercy."
Lu Ning stroked his beard and said, "I and Su Keqing are colleagues. Today's closed-door trial has already saved face for the Duke of Pingguo's mansion and the Grand Tutor's mansion. If Madam Zhou wants a lenient sentence, she should ask for the victim's understanding."
Madam Xiao understood and pleaded with Yun Tianbai, "Brother Bai, please forgive Qingqian for the sake of your aunt's kindness to you! Once she returns home, I will marry her off to a distant place and never let her return to the capital!"
Zhou Qingqian cried out, "Mother! No! I don't want to marry someone from another place! I want to marry my cousin, the Crown Prince! Save Mother's life! I don't care about status; I'd be willing to be a concubine!"
Madam Xiao trembled with rage, "You'd rather be a concubine than ask your cousin, the heir apparent, if he'd be willing?!"
Zhou Qingqian then turned her expectant gaze to Yun Tianbai and called out pitifully, "Cousin... I've done so much, all for you..."
Yun Tianbai immediately shivered. He had married Shi Wenxia out of gratitude for their past friendship, which had already alienated his brothers in the army. If he were to take in a vicious concubine, wouldn't his future be completely ruined?!
The setbacks of the past six months have made him realize that nothing is more important than his future and financial prospects.
He only looked at Lu Ning, "I beg Lord Lu... to judge according to the law!"
Zhou Qingqian was shocked and exclaimed, "Cousin, you can't do this to me!"
Madam Xiao couldn't believe it either, "Brother Bai!"
Yun Tianbai's expression was cold. "Does Auntie want to make Cousin Qingqian's claim of having two lives on her hands?"
Xiao immediately shut her mouth, forcefully suppressing the anger rising in her heart.
Zhou Qingqian just confessed without being asked, and she even used a curse on Wu Xinxin.
If both deaths are confirmed, the daughter will surely die.
As expected, Lu Ning pondered for a moment and sentenced him to exile for three thousand miles.
In this era, for women, being exiled three thousand miles away was also a death sentence.
When Zhou Qingqian realized the problem, her face turned pale and she collapsed to the ground.
Yun Tianbai flicked his sleeves and left.
Madam Xiao knew that this sentence was much lighter than immediate execution, so she didn't dare to say anything and just watched sadly as her daughter was taken inside.
She needs to go back and figure something out!
Lu Ning ordered the chief clerk to record the case, seal it, and keep it a secret. He then stuffed it into the same pile of case files that were not suitable for publicizing and presented it to the Dali Temple for review.
Six years ago, after the people in the Ministry of Justice were replaced by the Crown Prince's men, with the Emperor's tacit approval, the Court of Judicial Review, which was originally in cahoots with the Ministry of Justice, naturally also fell into the Crown Prince's hands. Soon, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was also replaced by the Crown Prince's men.
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